


Perfectly Flawed

by TLynn



Series: Tangled Up [1]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, F/M, Series, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-05
Updated: 2011-07-05
Packaged: 2017-10-21 01:34:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TLynn/pseuds/TLynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She needed him, needed his strength, now more than ever as he was the only one who could give her back<br/>her own."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfectly Flawed

She held him tight, drawing on not only the physical strength he offered, but the emotional as well. Her sorrow,  
contained on the way from the doctor's office, threatened to consume her now as she released it, shared it with the  
only person she could. Or would. Even in his arms her sense of loss was overwhelming, her mind no longer numb to the  
finality of it all.

Part of her wanted to be angry with him. She'd begun to reconcile herself to her fate after that initial visit to  
the doctor, but with his admission, with that tangible, intensely personal part of her he had been keeping secret  
in a freezer, he'd given her a hope she held onto with both hands in spite of herself. It wasn't his fault, of course.  
None of it was. But now, in the thick of it, part of her wished he had never confessed. She wondered what kind of  
person she'd become when the absence of hope was an outcome she'd willingly choose.

He pulled back and moved to rest his lips gently on her forehead, his care and concern transferred easily through  
his kiss. He touched his head to hers then, his arms holding her close, holding her up.

"Never give up on a miracle," he said.

She couldn't help the slight shake of her head at his words. Ever the optimist, he held on to a scrap of hope no  
one else saw, even now, and she wished she could believe as easily.

She reached up and cupped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer as she turned her head in. Her  
mouth moved towards his lips, seeking his warmth, but even in the fog of grief she caught herself and brushed against  
his cheek instead, allowing her body to rest against him again in an embrace.

She felt empty. She'd always been a fighter, even in childhood, unable and unwilling to stand by and let the  
wicked prevail. Even with all They'd taken from her, from both of them, she held onto that innate resolve and refused  
to go down without a fight. But now any anger, misdirected or otherwise, was quickly dissolving. Any motivation to  
continue the search for those responsible was fading, only to be replaced by a gaping hole within. She resented it  
even as she was powerless to it. She felt tears cascade silently down her cheeks from beneath closed lids.

As if sensing her despair, Mulder's hands began stroking up and down her back, bringing her back to focus. She opened  
her eyes and pulled back to look up at him, to let her gaze fall upon his sad eyes.

"We won't give up," he said softly.

She leaned in again, bringing her lips his, finally finding that warmth she needed. She knew in that instant he was the  
only one who could ever make her feel whole again. She needed him, needed his strength, now more than ever, as he  
was the only one who could give her back her own. He'd gone rigid with the kiss, his hands still against her, and  
pulled away as she tried to deepen it.

"Scully, I don't think--"

She caught his mouth again, forcing it open with a graze of her tongue along his full bottom lip. Her hands slid up to  
cradle his head, pulling him in further, and she felt his resolve melt as his arms tightened around her.

He pulled back again, gulping for oxygen, and the storm, desire warring with chivalry, was evident in his eyes. This  
was a line they'd danced on for some time, but never dared to cross and she could feel the waves of uncertainty  
emanate from his entire body. His hand shook slightly as he brought it to her face, his fingers resting gently against  
the hollow of her cheek. She responded by moving her hand down between them, palming the denim over the bulge of his  
cock.

"Scully..." he breathed, a warning and a plea.

"I need this, Mulder," she whispered, a plea of her own, as she squeezed him lightly.

Ignoring all rational thought, he succumbed to her, inside and out, and crushed against her with a bruising kiss. She  
responded in kind, grinding her hips against him, whimpering into his mouth as his right hand took her left  
breast in a rough grasp.

They fumbled around each other to the couch, clumsily shedding clothes until she lay naked beneath him, chest  
heaving and lips swollen, his nude form hovering tensely above. He let one hand stray down her body, kneading the  
swell of her hip, easing her leg up and around him, opening her to him. She did as he silently bid, hissing as his  
fingers nestled at her center and began quick work of heightening her arousal. Her orgasm shot through her  
silently and unexpectedly, her hips thrust up hard against his hand as his fingers pressed against her.

Her body felt limp even as she encouraged his, breathless in her request.

"Now..."

He complied immediately, taking himself in his hand and pressing against her opening. She hissed again, her eyes  
closing and brow knitting in pain, and he slowly pushed further.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, his breathing labored.

She shook her head and relaxed her legs. Her hands slid up his arms and came to rest against his shoulders.

"Just go slow," she said, opening her eyes again.

He nodded and continued slowly. Her body tensed as she adjusted to the intrusion. She rocked beneath him when she  
was ready, her body yielding to him with growing ease. He felt his control slipping as his thrusts became fast and  
hard too soon and just as he attempted to temper his movements again, she pulled her knees up around him,  
tilting her pelvis to change the angle of penetration.

"Harder," she panted, her hands grabbing and pulling at him, urging him on.

His release came after several rough strokes and he collapsed heavily atop her, his heart threatening to beat  
out of his chest. The shift of her body ended his moment of recovery and he lifted himself again, sliding out of her as  
he moved to sit up. He reached out to her as she gingerly sat up as well, her movements slow as she shifted her legs.  
She allowed his careful embrace but didn't return it, instead leaning heavily against him as she caught her  
breath.

"You okay?" he ventured.

"Sleep," she answered.

"Maybe we should--"

"I'm so tired," she said, her eyes closed. "I just need to sleep."

She stood then and gathered their discarded clothing, piling it in her arms before making her way to her bedroom.  
He remained on the couch, watching.

"You coming?" she asked, stopping but not turning, as she reached her bedroom door.

He stood and followed her in, outside his comfort zone as she discarded the clothes into a chair and pulled back the  
covers on her bed. She climbed underneath, scooting over to make room for him. He slid in next to her carefully,  
pulling the blankets up and over them both. Silence filled the room as they lay side by side without touching.

A hitch in her breathing caused his head to turn and he saw her hands covering her face, her body shaking with each  
quiet sob. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, willing her pain away. Several minutes passed before  
he heard her even breaths and realized she was asleep. Feeling helpless to do anything else, he followed her into  
a dreamless slumber.

* * *

He woke the next morning to find himself alone in the bed, bright sunlight streaming through the open blinds covering  
the window. His body protested as he moved to rise, standing at full height to stretch and then bending over to  
search for some cover among the pile of their combined clothing. Pulling on his boxers and white t-shirt, he went  
in search of her.

She was in the kitchen, showered and dressed, her face blank as she stood at the counter, her eyes fixed on the  
cup of tea she cradled in her hands.

"Morning," he said, stopping to lean against the refrigerator.

She startled slightly at his voice, but her face relaxed into a small smile as she turned to look at him. Her gaze  
quickly dropped to the cup she still held in her hands.

"Tea?" she asked.

"Sure, I'll get it," he answered, moving to the pot on the stove and the empty mug next to it. She kept her eyes down,  
even as he moved to stand next to her, leaning against the counter in a mirrored stance. He sipped his drink  
carefully, enjoying the feel of the hot liquid washing down his dry throat, doing his best to ignore the awkward  
tension in the room. When he caught her glance up at him, he took the opportunity to lean down and place a kiss on  
her cheek. She tensed immediately.

"Scully, what's wrong?"

When she looked up again, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears and he felt his stomach turn to knots with the rueful  
expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," she simply said.

"For what?" he asked with a small smile. "For what happened? You don't need to be."

He relaxed a bit, reaching out to trace a line down her arm with his finger, and she shivered.

"I'm...I just don't think I'm ready for this," she said, her voice low, her hand gesturing between them.

"What?"

"I shouldn't have done what I did," she continued. "It wasn't fair to you and I apologize. I can only hope that  
you can forgive me. But I'm not ready for this, Mulder. As much as I wanted it, I'm not ready for the reality of you  
and me and I need some time. Especially with everything that's gone on. I just need time."

He stared at her for a long moment, struggling to process what she was saying, emotions conflicting. He wanted to  
hold her, he wanted to shake her, he wanted to kiss her, and he wanted to scream at her. But he did none of those  
things.

"Do you regret it?" he finally asked.

"No," she said immediately. "I just...I'm overwhelmed. I need--"

"Time," he finished for her.

He gently set his tea down and moved from her, walking away and back into her bedroom. He stopped in and quickly used  
the restroom before pulling on his jeans, socks, and shoes. He recovered his black long sleeved shirt last from the  
bottom of the pile, and returned to the living room again.

She hadn't moved so he crossed back over to where he'd left her in the kitchen and stood before her. She struggled to  
look up at him, and when she did, it pained him to see the look of guilt in her eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded, resolute.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

He shook his head and leaned in, feathering a careful kiss against her lips.

"Whenever you're ready," he said. "I'll be here."

She nodded again, fresh tears welling, and he allowed himself one more press of his lips against hers before  
turning to leave. She watched through blurred vision as he opened the front door, grabbing his leather jacket from a  
nearby hook, and went through it without another look her way.

* * *  
end

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my new beta, Carol, for her sharp eye and incredible support. Thank you, my friend.


End file.
